Royal Destination - Clervaux Castle in Clervaux, Luxembourg and its history

Modest and yet so special, that's the best way to describe Clervaux Castle,

located in the town of Clervaux in northern Luxembourg. It stands at a height

of 365 meters on a rock above the town, surrounded on three sides by the

River Clerve.

Clervaux Castle - Luxembourg - own picture taken in 2007

Some history

First a Roman castle was built on the place of the Clervaux Castle. However

the current oldest parts of this magnificent building are mentioned in 1126.

The owner was Gerard I, Count of Sponheim. He was a stepbrother of

Frederick I, Count of Vianden. Gerard was since 1106 Lord of Cleve.

Around 1400 the Lords of Brandenburg lived in the Clervaux Castle. They

were through marriages and family ties, relatives of the Lord of Cleves.

In 1413 Clervaux Castle was taken by force by Duke Anthony of Burgundy,

however it came back in the hands of the Brandenburg family. The new

owner was Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg.

Through his descendants Clervaux Castle got a new owner: Claude of Lannoy.
Other famous members of this noble family were:
Jean de Lannoy, who played an important role in the Burgundian Netherlands;
Philip de Lannoy, the hofmarschall of King Albert I and the grandfather of
Stéphanie de Lannoy, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Claude of Lannoy gave the order to build reception halls, including the large
Knight's Hall in the Spanish style of Flanders.
His family stayed in the castle for 240 years.

Clervaux Castle - Luxembourg - own picture taken in 2007

Later Clervaux came into the hands of the Berlaimont family. They transformed

the castle into a hotel and a museum.

During the Second World War the Clervaux Castle was destroyed by fire,

during the Battle of the Bulge.

Afterwards the castle was restored. Nowadays it is used as a museum and for

housing the local administration.

A visit

I visited the Clervaux Castle in 2007. I travelled by bus from Luxembourg City,

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